too funny...

 

monday {menu}

{recipe from... here}

Chicken Wraps with Hummus, Goat Cheese & Chimichurri Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

For The Wraps:

• 4 pieces of naan bread OR other wraps like large flour tortillas, mini cauliflower pizza crusts, coconut flour tortillas, etc.
• 1 cup of lemon rosemary hummus  (see below for recipe) OR your favorite flavored hummus
• 4 cups of baby greens (I used spring mix) OR chopped romaine lettuce
• 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, or slow cooker whole chicken)
• 2 cups of the veggie mixture with homemade chimichurri sauce (see below for veggie recipe)
• 4 tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese
• For garnish (added to each wrap):
• 2 tablespoons of extra chimichurri sauce (mixed with 2 teaspoons of water to thin it out)

For The Veggie Mixture:

• 1/2 cup of peeled, sliced & quartered cucumber
• 1 cup of quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of peeled & diced red onion
• 3 tablespoons of homemade chimichurri sauce

For The Lemon & Rosemary Hummus (Optional):

• 1 (8 oz) container of plain hummus
• 2 teaspoons of lemon zest (from 1 small lemon)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of finely chopped rosemary
• 2 pinches of crushed red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the ingredients for the homemade chimichurri sauce in a blender or food processor, blitz until combined, taste and add more vinegar or oil if needed. You can also finely chop everything by hand & combine in a bowl or glass jar. Set the sauce aside to let the flavors develop while you prepare everything else.
2. Lightly toast both sides of the naan bread or other wraps using your oven's LOW broil setting, a skillet set to medium heat, or a toaster oven.  This should take 3-5 minutes. Set a timer so you don't forget about the wraps & so you can flip them halfway if using the broiler. We don't want them to burn!
3. Meanwhile, prep the cucumbers, tomatoes & onion and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Toss the veggies with 3 tablespoons of the chimichurri sauce.
4. Lay the naan bread (or other wraps) on a cutting board or large baking sheet with the inside facing up. 
5. Prepare each wrap as follows: Spread 1/4 cup of hummus across the whole surface, place 1 cup of the baby greens or lettuce on half of the wrap, then the shredded chicken on the other half. Scoop 1/2 cup of the chimichurri veggie mixture on top of the greens, then crumble 1 tablespoon of goat cheese over the veggies.
6. Garnish each chicken wrap by drizzling an extra 2 tablespoons of chimichurri sauce over the chicken & veggies. If the chimichurri sauce is too thick, mix it with 2 teaspoons of water to help thin it out & make it easier to drizzle.
7. Serve the wraps immediately while still flat (letting each person fold it themselves before eating) OR for a pretty presentation, tie a small length of hemp cord or baker's twine around each wrap beforehand. 

happy sunday...

 

behind the scenes

If you were to walk into the rooster garage space right now you would be so shocked... It's an absolute disaster! lol We usually stuff it with anything & everything we buy for our next Coastal Alley SALE or for design clients. Then a week before the sale we get our act together & start cleaning the garage up. I wish I had a better system, but I don't. Some l o v e seeing the garage a mess. They always say, "Oh My it's so exciting seeing everything like this!  I feel like I'm treasure hunting & I want to buy more!" Well... Maybe I should take their advise & keep it a mess. I know I can't... My eliminating/organizing issues would kick in & I would go crazy. So in keeping it real & letting you know what really goes on behind the scenes at the rooster... Not everything is always picture perfect! Its a darn mess. I guess I like to call it, "real life!" But, the after pictures are pretty good though {wink wink}... Hope you all have a fabulous Friday! 

h e l l o... let me introduce myself

Hi e v e r y o n e! I wanted to take a moment & introduce myself! My name is Alexandra, and I'm one of the founders of rustic rooster interiors, a small boutique interior design firm in Encinitas. I was born & raised in sunny California... After graduating from college in San Diego, I opened up a furniture store on Old Highway 101 with my mom, Sally, the other rooster chick. There we brought back the look of the classic seaside cottage. Oh wow, that store was so fun & fabulous! We eventually closed the rooster storefront, but continued my interior design business.  As I've gotten older my style has definitely evolved & grown into something very distinct here in San Diego. I like to call my design classic New England cottage meets the relaxed California coastal style... Hope that makes sense! lol 

I do feel like I have so much more to tell you about how the rooster got started. Where it is today. Where we're headed... And much much more!  But today I just want to tell you a few things about me.  

10 things about me... 

1.) I can drive a stick shift car... Learned on my dads old truck when I was about 13 years old.  {I wanted to become a race car driver & a truck driver when I was little... hmmm kind of weird, but I loved driving}

2.) I'm an organizing/eliminating freak {my kids call me that}... Truly dislike clutter. 

3.) Can't draw if my life depended on it {yup & I'm an interior designer & I can't draw}

4.) I'm extremely sensitive... I want everyone to be happy. 

5.) I'm the most non flexible person in all of the world... So you guessed it, I can not touch my toes at all! 

6.) I'm o b s e  s s e d with old pine, blue & white pottery & antique bamboo. {i'm very picky with these pieces}

7.) If I could move today, I would move to Massachusetts & my kids would too! {no joke}

8.) I can't remember a dance move for the life of me! I end up laughing more than dancing because I'm so bad! {obviously I never made the dance team}

9.) I love 100% cotton sheets... Better than the fancy high end thread counts. {give me cheap old cotton bedding & I'm happy}

10.) I don't like to read... But I push myself to do so. My goal has always been to read 1 book a month. {shhh I try my hardest}

monday {menu}

{recipe from... h e r e}

* Coconut Pecan Cabin Granola * 

I N G R E D I E N T S:

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered or sliced almonds

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup flour (I haven’t tried whole wheat but I assume it would work fine)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar (optional – if I do use it, I like turbinado sugar)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

I N S T R U C T I O N S:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, pecans, flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar if using. Stir to combine.

Whisk the oil and the honey together. Pour over the oats mixture and until the whole mixture is moistened. Pour into a large jelly roll pan in a single layer, which will be thick – that’s okay because if you spread it out too much, it will bake too quickly and get crunchy and hard. No good.

Bake for 20 minutes, stir once, bake for 10 more minutes, stir once, and add the coconut flakes on top. Bake for a final 5 minutes (the coconut will get nice and brown) and remove from the oven. DON’T STIR right away! Let it just sit and mellow out on the pan – this helps it cluster up a little bit.

N O T E S:

Sometimes I’ll turn the temperature down to 300 degrees during baking if I feel like it’s baking a little too fast for my liking. We only have temperature increments of 25 degrees, so I don’t have the option for a 315 degree setting or anything. It works fine for me to just sort of eyeball it, but if I were to pick a really specific number, I’d choose something between 325 and 300 degrees.

could be yours!

Today's your l u c k y day... We're selling a brand new front {back, side... you name it} door! We ended up going with a different design for our front door... This one has been primed already & has been waiting patiently to be painted and installed! Plus, Its been in our storage unit, safely tucked away. So no damages or anything!    

12 Diamond Pane windows

35 6/8" W x 80" H

Originally $480... We're selling it for $400

Local pick up

e-mail me: info@rusticrooster.com 

 text: 760.436.2171

s e a. s u n. s a n d

{all images from... rustic rooster pinterest}

Ahhh... We're in full swing here in San Diego for tons of Sea, Sun and Sand and I l o v e it! Of course going to the beach you have to be pretty stylish... I know you don't want to admit it, but its truly a fashion show at the water! So get your suit, hat, beach bag, beach cruiser and your fancy umbrella and hit the sand! Loving this entire look... very simple and classic rolled into one! What's your signature beach look?

monday {menu}

 

Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Bars

{recipe from... h e r e}

Ingredients

• 10 Tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp or 145g) unsalted butter, slightly soft (see important note!)*
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (141g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240ml) salted caramel sauce (the full recipe)
• 1 cup (50-60g) chopped pretzels
• 6 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate (or 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips)*
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• optional: sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
2. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add the flour, sugar, salt, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until crumbly. Get your hands in there to make the dough come together. Press tightly into prepared pan. Press pretzel pieces evenly on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding the caramel (I stick it in the refrigerator to speed this up).
3. Prepare caramel and wait for it to cool until it slightly thickens. Pour/spoon over crust. Allow to cool and set completely before topping with chocolate. Again, I stick it in the refrigerator to speed it up.
4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 15 second increments, stopping and stirring until completely melted. Pour over cooled caramel. Top with sea salt. Stick in the refrigerator to cool completely.
5. Lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Notes

1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are many ways to start ahead on this recipe. You can prepare and bake the crust through step 2 a day or 2 ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until ready for the caramel. You can also prepare the caramel a day or 2 ahead of time. Warm it just until it is spreadable (but not totally liquid), then pour over crust and allow to set. Continue with step 4. Prepared bars can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before enjoying.
2. Special Tools: KitchenAid Hand Mixer | Glass Baking Dish | Aluminum Square Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Stainless Steel Saucepan
3. Butter: Butter that is too soft could ruin the crust. I always let butter sit out of the refrigerator for only about 10 minutes when making this crust. It’s still a little firm and cold, but that is what you want for a shortbread-like crust.
4. Chocolate: If using chocolate chips in the chocolate layer, melt down with 1 teaspoon of oil so it thins out and is easy to pour and spread. Careful melting in the microwave. Stop every 15 seconds to stir until melted. You can even melt it down with 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter for an extra dose of delicious

happy sunday...

 

set sail... sail san diego

 

Well friends, I think it's time to,  Set Sail this summer! I've always loved sailing the ocean blue, holding my wine and enjoying the cool breeze on my face. Smelling that salty air and hearing the waves crash under the boat... A truly mesmerizing and magical feeling! I don't know if you all have had that experience as well? I know we are all busy, so  today I ask that you all Set Sail and enjoy your weekend! Here's a company in San Diego that you can do just that...  Sail San Diego! 

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

happy 4th of july

 

happy sunday...

 

saturday style

 

Finding your style can be hard... But when you know, you just know! These two images just spoke to me... I love the simplicity and classic elements of each style. I love the cool monochromatic colors. Nothing fancy... But definitely eye catching!  

What's your style?

h e l l o j u l y f i r s t

 

H E L L O 

J U L Y 

F I R S T